Seattle Requires Electrical Service Providers to Comply with PEARL Standards

The City of Seattle recently became one of the first major metropolitan areas to include electrical reconditioning standards developed by the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL) as a requisite for new electrical testing, assessment, and remanufacturing services.

According to a report from PEARL, early this month, the city announced it was seeking to contract for electrical testing, assessment, and remanufacturing services. The invitation to bid specified that officials in Seattle were looking to obtain “standardized, qualified services” from a PEARL member — and in doing so it affirmed the city’s confidence in PEARL’s reconditioning standards. The city anticipates spending up to $500,000 per year for the services.

“Seattle’s requirement that vendors have PEARL certification reflects the high levels of quality and safety ensured by our electrical reconditioning standards and the hard work of our corporate members that helped develop the standards,” says Stephen Reames, owner of Oregon Breakers, Inc., and recently elected PEARL president.

“We expect that other cities are likely to follow the lead of Seattle as the demand for remanufactured goods grows and sustainability policies similar to Seattle’s are put into place,” says Reames. “Just as important, PEARL expects to announce very soon that the American National Standards Institute [ANSI], the premier standards development organization in the U.S., has approved our application to become an ANSI Accredited Standards Developer. While there is still much work to be done, we expect that the ANSI stamp of approval will go a long way toward helping PEARL educate the public on the benefits of standards-based electrical reconditioning and remanufacturing.”

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